Coffee Shop Soundtrack
Track 15:The Reason- Flyleaf
Grounds has been rather quiet lately. After all of this happened the other week, Ryan had closed up shop rather early. Cassie didn't leave the hospital to show up for her shifts, so he gave her the time off. Homecoming came and went without Georgia or Noah. Cassie never did leave long enough to find out what happened to Georgia's family. Jordan, didn't play in homecoming, and the twins' parents both came to check on their daughter at different times. The times Ryan showed up at the hospital to bring some food to Cassie, one of the parents were anxiously waiting by their daughter's side.
The one who took this situation the worst was probably her father. He was a very unemotional kind of man who actually wanted to see both his children do well. When Ryan talked with the man one night, he was quite surprised to hear just everything that Georgia never mentioned. Her father was a second generation immigrant from a Filipino family and a business man who owned three companies, one branch was there in Brandon while the other two were located at opposite ends of the country. It was quite clear that he was barely home. Her mother was even in health care and constantly busy herself.
Ryan wanted to feel sorry for the sarcastic girl, he wanted to be right there by her side that week and wait as she woke up. He wanted to be by Noah and Cassie's side also in anticipation of seeing life back to the way it was before. He wanted this, so why was he working? Business was slow now. It was November and the long awaited snow had finally arrived on the two cities. This meant that less and less people wanted to enter the doors to get a coffee which the drive through Starbucks could give to them instead.
The heat was blowing in the lobby of the shop and a hat was snug over Ryan's fresh haircut. The blonde was gone. Ryan was a brunet again. He was now someone else who he hadn't seen since his teenage years, yet he was still doing Ryany things. The local talk radio station was playing in the background of the store while he did some well needed cleaning. The moose head was growing dusty, and those grounds molding behind the coffee makers were starting to smell.
After about an hour of mindless cleaning, he noticed that the sky was growing rather dark. Heavy snowflakes floated down from the sky. It was just about time for school to get out, but no parent was going to permit their teenager to drive in this snow. He took out his phone, with no recent calls or texts from the bubbly Cassie, and went to the coffee shop's Facebook site. He updated there and on Twitter that they would be closing early today. He ended the messages saying to be careful and to enjoy the night before closing up shop.
He locked the building and pushed his winter jacket's collar up to help protect his face from the bitter cold wind. He hopped into his car, stomping his feet on the inside as the car slowly heated up. When he finally felt it was time to leave, he found the roads rather slippery. Thankfully the too early Christmas lights and decorations on the homes and businesses lit his way. He would have turned on the shop's by now, they had been up there for the entire year anyway, but he was hoping to wait until the others were there with him to document the event.
Ryan's eyes lowered as he started to think about them all again. He didn't know why, but he wasn't feeling empathy towards them, but rather pity. He couldn't do anything but wait and feel pity for the broken children and friend while he was fine. Yes his entire existence for years could have been a pity fest, but this wasn't right. These people were not like him. He deserved all that he went through, they didn't.
There became a gap in his mind as he found himself breaking and parking in the parking lot of the local church. He looked up in a daze and felt his shoulders slouch as he stared up to the tall tan building. Aunt Lori had taken him, no, forced him here every service she could get her hands on. Every Tuesday, every Sunday, every bake sale, everything. Ever since he left under her wing he hadn't really been back, minus those random times at Christmas or Easter when he felt guilty for not going.
Ryan found himself leaving his car rather than leaving the parking lot. It was a Thursday, so nothing should have been going on, yet he walked up the steps and through the front doors. A choir practicing for Sunday echoed throughout the hallway as he glanced about the interior of the renovated church. Everything looked the same since Easter except that new electronic announcement board in the lobby. The doors to the large sanctuary were wide opened taking in the yellow lit stage and reflected it all across the cream colored walls of the sanctuary and lobby. It gave a warm glow to the cold night outside.
He walked in, stopping at certain points and finally rested in a row to his left. He watched as the choir of mixed individuals all hummed and practiced the songs, some from hymnals and others that sounded more current.
“I thought that you didn't like coming here,” a voice called from the aisle next to him.
He nearly shot up from his seat, terrified by the woman's voice. Aunt Lori was standing right there, dressed in a choir robe and her graying brown hair hung loose at her shoulders.
“What are you-” he didn't want to finish that question he knew perfectly well why she was there, “why aren't you up there?”
“Boy, I'm old. I've got the bladder the size of a pea.”
“You're not that old...” he muttered as she scooted past him and sat right to his left.
He quietly moaned. He really just wanted to be alone. Why was he even here? He should be going home or go to the hospital to check them. Though he couldn't find the guts to stand up and leave Aunt Lori. They sat there as one of the women in the choir continued to sing some song he never heard of before.
“Why am I here...?” Ryan muttered as he scratched at his short brown hair.
“Are you asking currently or in life?”
“Does it matter?” she breathed in to say something but he cut her off instead, “I don't want to hear about God, Lori.”
She cocked an eyebrow at him. The mother inside wanted to scold the boy for being rude to her, but she relaxed the look and waited for him to continue.
“What kind of God would allow all of this to happen to my friends, huh? They didn't deserve to be in a coma for weeks. I'm the one that should have happened to. They are innocent. They aren't the ones that needed to grow up and pay for pain like I had to. It was me. I should be where they are right now, not them! Why wouldn't God do that then, huh?”
That was when Aunt Lori slapped the man across the side of his face. The song continued, nothing stopped around them, but all Ryan could see was the mix of anger and sorrow in Aunt Lori's eyes.
“Don't you EVER talk like that in front of my face again. I have seen plenty of people like you come and go, and I've had a far too many die right in front of my eyes from the people I was protecting them from. You do not have any right to say something like that about your life.”
She relaxed her shoulders and he could see the sorrow just bubble in her eyes, “I believe and taught you about a God that heals, not one that takes away. If you want to confess death over your own life then not only are you throwing that away, but also all that you've worked for to be the free man you are now.”
Aunt Lori took one last glance at Ryan and stood. She squeezed past him and walked back down to the stage which she was originally going to go towards. Ryan stood, wanting to go down to her and say something when his phone started to ring. The number was that of Cassie.
“Cassie-?”
“They're awake!”
“What?”
“Well, waking up. Both of them! The machines by Noah's bed was starting to make some noise, I called the nurse who also said about Georgia's doing the same-”
“Cassie, slow down-”
“They're awake, oh... Noah!”
With that she hung up the phone. Ryan took one last glance to the front to see Aunt Lori back with the choir. He wanted to say something to her, but he knew she wouldn't want to talk to him right then. And just like Cassie, with that... he too left.
The one who took this situation the worst was probably her father. He was a very unemotional kind of man who actually wanted to see both his children do well. When Ryan talked with the man one night, he was quite surprised to hear just everything that Georgia never mentioned. Her father was a second generation immigrant from a Filipino family and a business man who owned three companies, one branch was there in Brandon while the other two were located at opposite ends of the country. It was quite clear that he was barely home. Her mother was even in health care and constantly busy herself.
Ryan wanted to feel sorry for the sarcastic girl, he wanted to be right there by her side that week and wait as she woke up. He wanted to be by Noah and Cassie's side also in anticipation of seeing life back to the way it was before. He wanted this, so why was he working? Business was slow now. It was November and the long awaited snow had finally arrived on the two cities. This meant that less and less people wanted to enter the doors to get a coffee which the drive through Starbucks could give to them instead.
The heat was blowing in the lobby of the shop and a hat was snug over Ryan's fresh haircut. The blonde was gone. Ryan was a brunet again. He was now someone else who he hadn't seen since his teenage years, yet he was still doing Ryany things. The local talk radio station was playing in the background of the store while he did some well needed cleaning. The moose head was growing dusty, and those grounds molding behind the coffee makers were starting to smell.
After about an hour of mindless cleaning, he noticed that the sky was growing rather dark. Heavy snowflakes floated down from the sky. It was just about time for school to get out, but no parent was going to permit their teenager to drive in this snow. He took out his phone, with no recent calls or texts from the bubbly Cassie, and went to the coffee shop's Facebook site. He updated there and on Twitter that they would be closing early today. He ended the messages saying to be careful and to enjoy the night before closing up shop.
He locked the building and pushed his winter jacket's collar up to help protect his face from the bitter cold wind. He hopped into his car, stomping his feet on the inside as the car slowly heated up. When he finally felt it was time to leave, he found the roads rather slippery. Thankfully the too early Christmas lights and decorations on the homes and businesses lit his way. He would have turned on the shop's by now, they had been up there for the entire year anyway, but he was hoping to wait until the others were there with him to document the event.
Ryan's eyes lowered as he started to think about them all again. He didn't know why, but he wasn't feeling empathy towards them, but rather pity. He couldn't do anything but wait and feel pity for the broken children and friend while he was fine. Yes his entire existence for years could have been a pity fest, but this wasn't right. These people were not like him. He deserved all that he went through, they didn't.
There became a gap in his mind as he found himself breaking and parking in the parking lot of the local church. He looked up in a daze and felt his shoulders slouch as he stared up to the tall tan building. Aunt Lori had taken him, no, forced him here every service she could get her hands on. Every Tuesday, every Sunday, every bake sale, everything. Ever since he left under her wing he hadn't really been back, minus those random times at Christmas or Easter when he felt guilty for not going.
Ryan found himself leaving his car rather than leaving the parking lot. It was a Thursday, so nothing should have been going on, yet he walked up the steps and through the front doors. A choir practicing for Sunday echoed throughout the hallway as he glanced about the interior of the renovated church. Everything looked the same since Easter except that new electronic announcement board in the lobby. The doors to the large sanctuary were wide opened taking in the yellow lit stage and reflected it all across the cream colored walls of the sanctuary and lobby. It gave a warm glow to the cold night outside.
He walked in, stopping at certain points and finally rested in a row to his left. He watched as the choir of mixed individuals all hummed and practiced the songs, some from hymnals and others that sounded more current.
“I thought that you didn't like coming here,” a voice called from the aisle next to him.
He nearly shot up from his seat, terrified by the woman's voice. Aunt Lori was standing right there, dressed in a choir robe and her graying brown hair hung loose at her shoulders.
“What are you-” he didn't want to finish that question he knew perfectly well why she was there, “why aren't you up there?”
“Boy, I'm old. I've got the bladder the size of a pea.”
“You're not that old...” he muttered as she scooted past him and sat right to his left.
He quietly moaned. He really just wanted to be alone. Why was he even here? He should be going home or go to the hospital to check them. Though he couldn't find the guts to stand up and leave Aunt Lori. They sat there as one of the women in the choir continued to sing some song he never heard of before.
“Why am I here...?” Ryan muttered as he scratched at his short brown hair.
“Are you asking currently or in life?”
“Does it matter?” she breathed in to say something but he cut her off instead, “I don't want to hear about God, Lori.”
She cocked an eyebrow at him. The mother inside wanted to scold the boy for being rude to her, but she relaxed the look and waited for him to continue.
“What kind of God would allow all of this to happen to my friends, huh? They didn't deserve to be in a coma for weeks. I'm the one that should have happened to. They are innocent. They aren't the ones that needed to grow up and pay for pain like I had to. It was me. I should be where they are right now, not them! Why wouldn't God do that then, huh?”
That was when Aunt Lori slapped the man across the side of his face. The song continued, nothing stopped around them, but all Ryan could see was the mix of anger and sorrow in Aunt Lori's eyes.
“Don't you EVER talk like that in front of my face again. I have seen plenty of people like you come and go, and I've had a far too many die right in front of my eyes from the people I was protecting them from. You do not have any right to say something like that about your life.”
She relaxed her shoulders and he could see the sorrow just bubble in her eyes, “I believe and taught you about a God that heals, not one that takes away. If you want to confess death over your own life then not only are you throwing that away, but also all that you've worked for to be the free man you are now.”
Aunt Lori took one last glance at Ryan and stood. She squeezed past him and walked back down to the stage which she was originally going to go towards. Ryan stood, wanting to go down to her and say something when his phone started to ring. The number was that of Cassie.
“Cassie-?”
“They're awake!”
“What?”
“Well, waking up. Both of them! The machines by Noah's bed was starting to make some noise, I called the nurse who also said about Georgia's doing the same-”
“Cassie, slow down-”
“They're awake, oh... Noah!”
With that she hung up the phone. Ryan took one last glance to the front to see Aunt Lori back with the choir. He wanted to say something to her, but he knew she wouldn't want to talk to him right then. And just like Cassie, with that... he too left.
♠ ♠ ♠
I had some major song trouble when I was going to write this a month or so ago.I couldn't find anything.
Then I found this song. The only song that makes me shiver and tear up every time I listen to it.
Truthfully, if you don't know anything about me, I really only listen to Christian music. Occasionally, I'll recycle over other things that I hear from friends or my sister, but really this is the kind of music I stick with and love. It's uplifting, beautiful, and it's how I worship my Father. So for awhile I really wanted to do some song like this as the chapter. However, unlike some of my other personal stories (which will not see the life of day on Mibba), Ryan is in no way affiliated or claims to be a Christian of some kind.
He isn't, and I knew that.
Truth is, none of the audience knows how Mel and I actually planned for this story to end (yes we've known since the beginning) and I needed to add this low point in Ryan's life. I could have gone on, skip ahead to everything to be fine and dandy, but then that wouldn't be very good character development. Will I visit something like this again? Who knows, I sort of take my writing as it goes. This is a story about love and friendship though, unlike my other stories which center around "transformation" and life.
The romance part of this story though is something which we both need to do more of since we both want to wrap up this story soon! lol
Well, I've dragged this on long enough. Mel's going to London so idk when she's going to come out with the next chapter, but for now here's mine!
-AG<3